Writes Ciaran Dineen
The much-anticipated Carrigaline Transportation and Public Realm Enhancement Plan (TPREP) has been supported and passed by local councillors following the latest meeting of the Carrigaline Municipal District (MD).
At the July meeting, Councillors were joined by some of the TPREP team who have been working on the project, along with Director of Planning, Michael Lynch. Carrigaline has been pin-pointed as a critical town for development since the redrawing of county lines, which has now made Carrigaline the biggest town in the county and one of the fastest growing in the country.
Details of the plan were revealed a few months ago, with two rounds of public consultation contributing to the overall design and concept. The transport-focused report emphasises the need for Carrigaline to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic in the town, particularly along main street, with more of a focus towards improving infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Later this year, an adjoining report is expected to be proposed by Cork County Council Senior Architect, Giulia Vallone, which will put forward suggestions for public realm enhancement of the Owenabue Carpark.
Speaking at the MD, the Director of Planning thanked public representatives for their involvement in the design and consultation process throughout, saying that this TPREP was the first of its nature in the overall scope of planning change for the town. Mr Lynch noted the need to reduce car dependency in the town and highlighted the critical element of rejuvenation that is very much at the heart of the plan.
Tony Lynch of ARUP Consultants, who were the agency tasked with designing the overall vision of the proposal, added to comments made by the Director of Planning saying that there was good engagement with the strategy, with a number of detailed submissions made during the consultation process.
MD Chair, Cllr Marcia D’Alton welcomed the final report saying that it proposed a vision that Carrigaline needs to become “that landmark town”. Her colleague, Cllr Seamus McGrath thanked all the parties involved for presenting the strategy, noting that it will be transformative and a game-changer for Carrigaline, with the promotion of sustainable and active travel some of the key elements standing out.
The proposal was passed with all councillors advocating for its implementation and works should hopefully begin within the next 18 months. Further details of the overall design can be found on the Carrigdhoun Newspaper Website.
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